


The Oracle

by gotosleepryan



Category: Scooby Doo - All Media Types, Scooby-Doo! and the Witch's Ghost (1999)
Genre: Other, better safe than sorry yanno?, idk how graphic the violence is but the warning should suffice
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-04
Updated: 2020-06-05
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:34:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24543934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gotosleepryan/pseuds/gotosleepryan
Summary: Ben Ravencroft narrowly avoided his fate of being pulled into the spellbook with Sarah, and things are quickly going downhill for Mystery, Incorporated. The ever-prideful Ben takes an interest in Velma, and wants her at his side as he resumes his conquest to rule the world. It just so happens that there's a spell that would be perfect for that to happen...
Relationships: Velma Dinkley & Ben Ravencroft
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	1. He Didn't Fall

Sarah Ravencroft's ghastly blue hand held fast to the fabric of her descendant's trousers. Her eyes gleamed with a certain kind of insanity- the kind of insanity only hundreds of years alone could bring on. An ear-splitting shriek resounded through the area, and her nails began to dig into his leg.

Ben raked at the dirt with his hands and struggled against her grip on him. Despite his thrashing, Sarah held on tightly. He planted his free foot into the ground, but realized it was futile. Despite his efforts, he came closer and closer to that damned spellbook.

"I won't... Go back..! ALOOONE!!!" she howled. 

"NOOO!!" Ben bellowed. He glanced behind him for just a split second, then locked his arms in place with his hands planted on the ground. He braced himself.

This was going to be incredibly risky.

He removed his foothold to kick the hand holding on to his other leg with all of his might, then twisted so he faced upwards. 

Given the leverage from the sudden attack, he bent his knee sharply and pulled away from his screaming ancestor. 

Sarah let out one last desperate, horrific shriek. She sank into the book, her scream fading until it was nothing more than the faint whisper of the wind.

With an air of finality, the pages of the book fluttered before it snapped shut.

Ben took the moment of reprieve to try to remember how to breathe. He remained on his hands and knees until his lungs stopped burning, until his breathing began to even out.

A cry from several feet away drew his attention from his rapidly-beating heart and his ragged breathing.

"Oh, no, the book!"

Across from him, another obstacle to beat, stood a short and sturdy woman with brown hair and scuffed up glasses.

Velma Dinkley.

She had by then broken into a sprint, making a beeline for the spellbook.

Her little friends followed right behind her.

His brow furrowed. His teeth clenched. He shoved off from the ground and stumbled before finding his footing and darting for the book.

There was no way he'd let that meddling bitch ruin everything, the same way she'd done for Sarah.

Velma didn't pause to even glance at him. She leapt forward and dove. She landed on her stomach and slid forward, clouds of dust rising from the ground she had disturbed.

Their hands landed on the cover at the same time, but Velma's fingers slid around the spine and under the book first. She began to pick it up before Ben grabbed hold of the adjacent side and gripped it so his knuckles went white. His other hand went underneath for added support.

"Let go of my book!" He yanked it in his direction and twisted it. While she started to lose her grip for a second, she recovered quickly and pulled it back toward herself.

Her friends approached from behind her.

Before that redhead-- Daphne, the one who asked a lot of questions about the book, could join her friend's struggle to grab the book from him, he turned so Daphne was then behind him.

"No!" Velma growled, more focused on him than the help her friends could offer. "I can't let you do this, I won't let you win!" 

When Ben yanked the book toward himself again, Velma used the pull to get close and attempt to kick him right between the legs. With her having one leg off the ground, Ben used that to his advantage and twisted again.

She stumbled and slipped, toppling and landing hard on her backside.

"Velma!" Fred yelled. His voice came from somewhere right behind Ben. Instinctively, he raised his left arm and braced himself.

Fred, as he was hoping, ran right into his extended arm. Ben hadn't quite expected to catch him in the throat, but it certainly worked to his advantage when Fred knelt over, gasping, holding his hand on his throat.

With a deep scowl on his face and the book in his hand, Ben regained his footing and stood squarely, towering above Velma. "You foolish-!" 

Velma threw her head back and bellowed, "THORN, EVERYONE, RUN!!!" 

For a second, his heart skipped a beat and his blood ran cold. He gripped the spellbook more tightly. His head whipped back and forth, and he searched with the eyes of a hawk for even a glimpse of the Hex Girl or the rest of Velma's friends.

Thorn carried the blood of a Wiccan, and therefore held some degree of power over him. Putting her aside, he watched as Daphne, Shaggy, and Scooby made a break for it.

Then Ben paused.

It dawned on him that while Thorn had cast the spell to re-imprison Sarah, she was really nothing more than a scared little girl.

The other three, perhaps, could later prove to be more formidable, but they weren't his true threat.

The true threat to everything he'd worked for sat on the ground, covered in dirt, bruises, and small scrapes.

He smiled a smile that stretched just a little too wide and looked back down at Velma. She stared him down with ice in her gaze, but it didn't matter.

He had power.

She _didn't_.

"They can't help you now. You've lost. I've won. This world will fall to me and you..." Fred crawled over to Velma, hand outstretched towards hers. She reached for his.

Their fingers brushed together before a solid kick landed in Fred's middle. Fred cried out as the dull thud caused Velma's heart to drop into her stomach.

With great power came great strength, they both knew. Ben, upon using the spellbook to give himself power, had been granted superhuman strength. There was no doubt in Velma's mind, as she watched Fred crumple, that Ben had used said strength against Fred.

Ben then moved so he stood between Fred and Velma with a devilish gleam in his eye.

He tightened his fist, and thick vines similar to Sarah's sprouted at Velma's feet. 

Velma gasped and tried to draw back.

The vines he had grown, however, darted at her faster than she could have possibly anticipated. One reached her and wrapped around her ankle. Another crept behind her and caught her around the middle. It lifted, bringing Velma up with it. Smaller offshoots spread upwards and wrapped around her arms, then brought them down and pinned them behind her back.

"VELMA!" Fred's knees wobbled beneath him as he tried to get up.

Ben brought up another vine, one thrown over the top of Fred's hunched form. It pinned him down once again.

Velma and Fred both grunted and twisted and thrashed this way and that, but to no avail. The plants were too thick and flexible. Nothing short of a chainsaw could have snapped them apart.

"I'm really beginning to get the _hang_ of this," he gloated. The vine wrapped around Velma completely lifted her off the ground.

He slipped a hand under her jaw before gripping her face tightly. Velma's eyes met his, mouth opening slightly as a sound of discomfort escaped from her lips.

"Don't you DARE touch her!" Fred snarled. He struggled once more beneath the vine. Ben retaliated with another plant wrapped over his legs.

"You, Velma, are going to watch the world burn, and you're going to watch as I forge a new world, a world I rule, from the ashes. You're helpless now, and completely at my mercy." 

The vines tightened around Velma's abdomen. She squeaked and struggled against the sudden constriction.

"STOP IT!" Fred screamed, tears threatening to pool in his eyes.

Ben stood by with a hand on his hip. He smirked, eyelids half-lowered. Velma ducked her head.

"No, I won't kill you. I'm sure you already know that." 

He paused, opening his hand. The vine loosened and Velma plummeted straight down, gasping for air.

"Well... you won't die yet, anyway. You're going to stay by my side for a long time." 

"NO," came Velma's now hoarse voice, "I'm not. You're going to fall one day, and this world will call for retribution. I'm going to be so incredibly happy to watch that happen, to watch you pay the price for this madness." 

Ben clapped once. After a second, he clapped again. A wide grin spread across his face.

"How inspiring. I almost shed a tear. However, you can't control any of this. Not anymore. I won't fall, not this time. You, on the other hand..." 

He held his hand out, palm facing her. A green aura of light appeared around his hand and Velma's entire body. His hand turned back toward himself, and Velma whimpered as she was lifted from the ground and brought toward him.

"No, no, no!" Fred pleaded. His voice cracked as he fought against the vines again. "Leave her alone!"

Ben completely ignored Fred and reached through the aura around Velma with his free hand and touched her face again, much to her chagrin.

"Well, this time _you_ just might."

His laugh rang out against the clearing. He made a swiping motion with his hand. The aura vanished from around Velma, and she hurtled backwards uncontrollably.

"NO!" Fred cried out.

Velma's conscious mind fumbled to form any thoughts, anything that could get her out of this mess, before she made impact with something big and solid.

Her back slammed into the tree first, and her head a split second later.

She slumped and fell forward, first falling to her knees before she went down completely.

As she sank, she didn't make a sound. Her chest tightened. Her stomach rose and fell, but not a bit of air was passing through her lungs.

She could see, but she couldn't process anything but color and rapidly fading light.

The last thing she was aware of, excepting the sharp screaming aches and the desperate cries from Fred, was a large knot of dread unlike any she'd ever experienced in the pit of her stomach.

Then Velma went under.


	2. The Plot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Mystery, Incorporated locked up, Ben finally has a few moments of reprieve. Too bad he still wants to rub it in that they're currently on the losing side.

Despite the sweater she wore, a chill seeped into Velma's skin. A harsh shudder ripped through her body the second her conscious mind resurfaced. Her palms lay on the ground, which, when she paid attention, felt smooth and unforgivingly cold.

Stone.

She shivered again, then tensed. Her shoulders began to sink back down toward the ground.

She moved her head from side to side, twisted it to see if her neck was stiff, clenched her teeth and muscles in her stomach, and flexed her fingers before rolling to her side.

Her back hurt, an ache too sharp to be from sleeping on it funny.

She found relief on her side, almost as though she had taken off a massive weight.

Her mind began to wander, reaching for conclusions as to what may have happened to her.

She inhaled sharply, then her eyes flew open. Memories flooded back, memories of what had happened before she had fallen unconscious.

Her current greatest enemy, Ben Ravencroft, remained alive. He still had a grasp on the power the spellbook had granted. His ancestor had been pulled back into the book, but that fact did nothing to alter her harsh reality.

There was a chance, Velma realized, that he was more powerful than before, armed with the knowledge that he wasn't infallible and the wisdom to act accordingly.

She prayed, despite the fact that she believed in no gods, that the Hex Girls, Daphne, Shaggy, and Scooby remained safe in the inevitable subsequent attacks. Her hope rested in the hands of her friends and Thorn.

She paused, realizing that anyone who carried the blood of a Wiccan carried the power that Thorn had over him.

Well, that knowledge certainly made her job easier. All Velma had to do from that point was figure out where Ben had taken her, and how to get out.

...

Perhaps that was easier said than done. She rolled over on her stomach and swept her arms out around her. She needed to be able to see, first and foremost.

"Velma, I have them," called a familiar voice. She rose to her hands and knees and turned toward the sound. A blurry white and blue figure sat in front of her, and said figure had a black blob in his hands.

Velma exhaled and released the tension in her shoulders as she reached for her glasses. With her vision back, she turned her head left and right, up and down, in front of her, and behind her.

From what she observed, they were in a large cell with a smooth stone floor and thick iron bars. She clenched her jaw, realizing that more people occupied the cell than just herself and Fred.

Daphne and Scooby sat across from them. Daphne nursed a bloody nose, and Scooby held his paws over his nose, ears drooping.

"Where's Shaggy?"

"He managed to get away," Fred explained in an incredulous tone of voice, almost as if he still didn't quite believe it himself.

"And Ben is looking for him," Daphne added, brushing a hand through the tangles in her hair. Her fingers brushed against a twig, which she extracted from her hair slowly.

"Row do you reel?" Scooby asked Velma, scooting toward her and nudging her arm with his nose.

"Not too great. Whatever happened really did a number on my back."

"You were slammed into a tree." Fred's voice sounded hollow. Velma faintly recalled the sound of him screaming.

"Do you mind if I look at it?" Daphne asked. "I'll only check down the neck, make sure it doesn't look bad."

Velma lowered her head in response and waited with closed eyes.

Daphne pulled back the neck of her sweater.

"Looks like you were bruised pretty badly, but I can't see anything that would indicate something broken."

Velma sighed.

From outside of the cell came a thunderous crack. The scent of smoke filled the air, and a ball of green light began to fade in. Velma's stomach dropped as she realized the shape of not one, but two silhouettes was becoming visible.

Her fears were confirmed when she saw the pea green t-shirt.

The cell door swung open and Ben shoved Shaggy inside. He landed on his hands and knees, but nearly collapsed and took part of the impact with his chin.

"It looks like your athlete wasn't fast, smart, or lucky enough to outrun me."

A droplet of crimson dripped onto the ground beneath Shaggy's face.

"He's bleeding!" Fred cried out. He and Scooby slid next to Shaggy and started gauging the damage.

Daphne gripped Velma's shoulders. Her knuckles began to turn white but she didn't let up, seeming to sense what exactly Velma wanted to do to Ben.

Ben also seemed to pick up on her " _I'm gonna kill him for this_ " thought process, because despite his sadistic smile, he still tensed in anticipation of a physical attack.

"Don't hold her back," Ben taunted Daphne. "Let her try."

Velma's hands curled into fists.

Daphne found herself surrounded by a green glow before Ben telekinetically pulled her away from Velma. He then moved so he stood in front of her.

"Go on, Velma. Hurt me. Make me bleed, and pay for the way I'm sure I've made you feel. Go until I'm bruised everywhere, until you've shattered a few bones. It won't save you, and it won't save your little world. You will never win."

"Velma, he's baiting you. Don't give in."

"You don't have to listen her. Come on, we both know just how badly you want even the chance to do this."

Velma trembled, jaw tight, nails digging little crescents into her palms.

"If I don't have to listen to her, then I don't have to listen to you, either," she forced herself to spit out.

"Ooh, we're going for the stoic and apathetic front. I'm going to have fun tearing that apart, with you to shortly follow."

Velma bit the inside of her cheek before speaking again.

"I swear, one day you will pay for all of this. You're absolute scum, and a coward. You're only acting like this because now you have something to hide behind: that magic. That even demeanor is hiding something a lot more pathetic, and I'm sorry to say that I can see right through it. You're nothing. Y-!"

Before Velma could continue with her tangent, Ben drew a hand back and slapped her.

The others drew in collective gasps as Velma staggered. Ben grabbed her sweater sleeve at the shoulder. The sound of fabric tearing filled the room as Velma fell to her knees.

Velma glanced at her torn sleeve before her head dropped.

Ben smirked.... and then stopped as Velma began to chuckle darkly.

She shook her head as if to clear her thoughts. Her head tilted upwards again and her gaze met Ben's. Her reddened cheek contrasted sharply with the pallor of the rest of her face.

"You're only proving my point," she drawled, "coward. Are you trying to keep the fearful in line by threatening them with physical harm? You can't keep me where you want me if I refuse to fear you."

He growled at her.

She smirked.

That wasn't meant to be how it happened, he realized. _He_ was supposed to be the one smirking at _her_ as he sparked remorse, anger, or fear.

She was right, and that was the worst part about it. She had called him out. He did want them in line, and he wanted her to fall to him.

It wouldn't be enough to simply kill her, in his mind. There had to be more that he could do to her.

Then something struck him.

An idea.

In between pursuing Shaggy and imprisoning the rest, he had perused the spellbook in an attempt to find spells that would add to his power. One spell in particular had caught his eye.

He needed to look at it again. It could mean Velma's downfall.

He turned quickly on his heel, slamming the cell door shut behind him.

Velma scoffed behind him as the lock slid into place.

He strode through a long winding corridor, one which he fashioned himself. Solid concrete walls towered high up, broken into segments by barriers of what appeared to be green lightning.

Ben, of course, passed through each barrier without blinking an eye.

Magic users such as himself were exempt from being blocked by the barriers.

At the end of the hallway, he began the climb up a flight of stairs. The stairs contained no barriers. They'd be unnecessary this far up.

He crossed the threshold from the stairway into the parlor of his mansion.

Vines of thorns surrounded the exterior of the mansion, therefore cutting off contact with the outside world. The front door remained unobstructed, but another barrier prevented anyone from just walking in without his say-so.

He wove through the parlor and strode into the kitchen, where the spellbook lay in wait.

He opened the book and started to flip through the pages, smirking inwardly.

Oracle, oracle, oracle...

He landed on the page he was looking for.

Scrawled in ancient ink at the top in cursive was, "Binding Spell: the Oracle."

Not only was he going to rule the world, he thought as he read through the spell...

But _she_ was going to help him.

Naturally, Velma would never agree to help him in any of his plot to take over the world. The spell would take care of that. Otherwise, however, she would be completely in control of herself.

Previously, Ben had considered simply controlling her to do his bidding.

Then everything had changed after he'd found the gem of a spell within the book.

It was going to be glorious, watching her resolve crumble, to watch her be forced to help him against her will.

He slammed the book shut and descended back into the hallway with an air of triumph.

The five watched him with hatred in their gazes as he approached. A wide, hungry grin overtook his features as he laid eyes on Velma.

He snapped his fingers. The cell door unlocked itself, then swung wide open.

"Velma Dinkley, would you be so kind as to accompany me?"

She glared at him.

"No."

"I'm sorry," he said as he stepped inside the cell, "perhaps I confused you because I phrased it as a question. I'm not making a request, I'm commanding you. Come with me."

"I'm sorry," she sneered, mocking his tone of voice, "perhaps I confused you by phrasing my definitive answer as a definitive answer. I'll make it clearer: I'd rather be stuck bleeding in a pen with a starving pig than go anywhere with you."

His eyebrows lowered. His grin became much more sinister.

"Fine." He pointed to Daphne, then Scooby, then Shaggy, then Fred, then started again.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm deciding which of them to kill."

Velma paled.

"Wait, don't," she pleaded, quickly rising and standing in front of them. "Please."

Ben looked at her, then lowered his hand.

"Then we're agreed? You're coming?"

She nodded blankly, trying to conceal the sudden bout of tears threatening to start pooling in her eyes.

"Good. Now, then, consider this your only warning. Your disobedience will cost you dearly. Understood?"

"Understood," she muttered.

"Now, what do we say?"

Velma looked at him, confused.

"I'm doing something quite nice for you by sparing them. What do we say?"

That _bastard_. Her nose wrinkled in disgust, but she spat out the answer he was clearly looking for with a clenched jaw.

"Thank you."

"Good. Now, come along."

Ben held open the cell door and bowed with his hand pointing towards the hallway.

Ladies first, his gesture screamed to her.

She exited the cell.

The door swung shut with a bang, and Ben turned around to begin his walk down the corridor.

Velma paused and held fast to the bars separating her from her friends.

No one said anything.

The fear was evident on all of their faces.

Velma forced herself to wipe the expression off her face as Ben grabbed her shoulder and roughly yanked her away.

She prayed that she'd stay alive to see all of them again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reviews, as always, are greatly appreciated!


	3. Bound To Eternity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Velma separated from her friends, Ben decides it's time to spring his plan on her. Of course, she'd rather do literally anything else than side with him, but what can she do?

Velma wanted, more than anything, to not be holding hands with Ben Ravencroft.

He had the lead and tugged her along behind him.

Only he had the ability to cross the barriers he'd set up, and only by keeping in contact with him could she cross the barriers too.

So he had grabbed her hand and led her behind him.

He had told her he wouldn't give her the ability to just cross the barriers. He didn't trust, despite threatening her, that she wouldn't make a break for it and run back to the cell her friends were in.

Velma would never admit it out loud, but she was absolutely terrified by him and the fact that she really had no idea what was going to happen to her.

He went up the stairs leading to the inside of his house, the real inside. She remembered it, because she was there only earlier.

Now away from any barriers, she wrested her hand free of Ben's grip.

He turned and studied her momentarily with an unreadable expression on his face.

Then he turned and gestured her to follow him again. She followed, and he led her to his kitchen.

Moonlight seeped through the window.

There was a digital clock on his oven that read 2:57.

Funny, she thought bitterly, the witching hour was about to begin.

"Would you like some tea, Velma?" Ben broke the silence with a wicked grin on his face.

"No, thank you very much."

If he wanted to play with passive aggressive pleasantries, she'd oblige.

"I insist."

"Why not get down to the matter at hand instead?"

"Not feeling particularly patient, are we?"

Velma was almost afraid to answer.

"All in due time, my dear. I promise."

"Don't call me that," she snapped at him. 

Ben filled a kettle with water and placed it on the stove-- a gas stove. The burners were old but looked unused, only withered and changed by time.

As a flame sprung to life to heat the water, Velma began to notice just how odd and terrifying her situation was.

She was sitting in the kitchen with her enemy, silently, as they waited for a kettle of water to boil.

Despite everything he had done, she didn't sense any ulterior motives for him boiling water. It seemed a little too graphic for him, even if he was a horror writer and a traitor.

He was simply playing the waiting game, trying to wear her patience out, watch her slowly dissolve into an anxious wreck.

Probably.

She wouldn't ever give him that satisfaction, ever. She wouldn't give in and let him break her.

She knew he was playing mental games with her, and she was determined to win.

Ben crossed the kitchen and pulled out a chair.

When he sat, he seemed far too relaxed for her liking.

He motioned for her to sit in the chair across from him.

Velma crossed her arms in response, silently refusing to comply. A small ball of worry, however, settled in the pit of her stomach. He had proven to be quite volatile. If she upset him, he could easily do something terrible.

He only shrugged before opening his mouth to speak.

"Now, I have a question to ask of you: if I offered you the chance to stay by my side, help me rule over this world, what would you say?"

"I'd say, what's the catch?"

"Clever, Velma. The catch is you choosing unwavering loyalty to me."

"Then I would say you're out of your mind. I would never choose to side with you."

"I see, thank you."

She stood tall and carried herself so rigidly she could snap at any moment. It was maddening, knowing something was going on and being frustrated she could do nothing about it.

He wouldn't have asked that for nothing, and she worried for her future.

The kettle started to whistle.

Velma made no movement to stop it from where she stood.

Ben got up and turned the burner off before retrieving two teacups. He glanced at her before finding two tea bags and pouring the water in both cups before setting the tea in to steep.

He held both and gave her an only-too-charming smile as he approached the table again.

"Come, sit down." She picked up on something far more threatening in his tone than the previous pleasantries and opted to do as told.

She glared at him as she forced herself to move-- one foot in front of the other-- and sit down, almost robotically.

"Here you are," he said as he set down one of the cups of tea in front of her.

"I said I didn't want tea." The teacup rattled as she slid the it away, turned to the side, and crossed her arms.

"Well, in case you happen to change your mind, the offer is still on the table."

She glared at him.

If he was using tea as a metaphor for his earlier preposterous proposal... That pretentious asshole..!

Ben, while probably unable to hear her (very alliterative) thoughts, smirked as if he knew just what exactly she was thinking about, or sensed her duality of admiration and frustration.

He took a sip of tea.

Velma glowered at him.

He completely ignored it.

"This really is quite good, if I say so."

Velma didn't respond.

"You know, you're being quite rude."

"Really? Gee, I hadn't noticed," she deadpanned.

"I let you out of that cell and now I'm offering you tea and general hospitality, and you are just being sullen in return."

"You'll forgive me if I'm not feeling my best; a lot has happened in the past few hours, and my head still hurts."

Ben nodded in mock thoughtfulness.

A long silence stretched between them, accentuated by Ben occasionally taking sips of tea.

"Now, then," he said once he finished, "I suppose it's time to get on with it."

He stood up and sauntered around the table. He paused for just a second to take the spellbook from the counter, then resumed until he was hovering over Velma.

The spellbook hit the table with a loud thud before he turned the pages to a spell, purposely agitating Velma by simply being too close.

She frowned almost imperceptibly at most attention grabbing word on the page he stopped on: Oracle.

"What is this?"

"Earlier, I asked you if you would choose to be loyal to me. I expected your refusal. This is a spell that, in essence, will destroy the book and store all of the knowledge within you."

"So you'd need me by your side, constantly? Does that really seem like a wise idea to you, given that I genuinely despise you?"

"That's the best part about it. Aside from a few minor changes, you will still be the same Velma Dinkley. Those minor changes, however, will alter things just enough that I'll have some control over you."

"So this all boils down to some kind of fucked up power play, doesn't it? You creepy bastard." She glared at him. "I don't have a choice, do I?"

"Of course you have a choice. One of the choices, however, will cost the life of at least one of your friends."

Velma paused, then sighed. She bowed her head and pulled her shoulders in tightly.

"What do you need from me in order to complete the spell?"

Ben grinned wickedly.

"Blood, and the ability to speak your part of the incantation. Here."

He handed her a sewing needle.

"Use this to draw blood."

It came back to symbology, she realized before growing even more agitated. As a sewing needle bound stitches to fabric, so too would the spell bind her to God-only-knew-what.

Authors.

"Roll up your sleeves." She did as she was told. "Are you ready?"

"About as ready as I could ever be."

He grinned before beginning his part of the incantation.

"Unwrite the pages written in ink,  
Let these words be bound within blood.  
Unravel the chains of inanimacy,  
Bring an Oracle, mind mine to becloud."

As he spoke, the pages of the book began to flutter. It seemed as though the entire journal was coming alive, searching for the blood that would be used in the spell.

Velma moved the tip of the sewing needle to her fingertip before closing her eyes.

Steeling herself for the spell, she pushed the point in just enough to draw blood and winced.

"Good. Now, say your part of the spell."

Velma stood above the quivering spellbook, then squeezed her finger and allowed one single drop to land on the page.

"I bind myself to an eternity  
To hold these spells in memory.  
To never decline and never betray  
Lest the price I will have to pay.  
The secrets kept within be now melded in flesh,  
In pictures and words to convey and express  
I become the Oracle and the Oracle becomes me,  
I bind myself to an eternity."

As the final syllable escaped her lips, the spellbook burst into flames.

Velma gasped in alarm and stepped back.

Then something uncontrollable set in, and she stepped toward the book.

Then she took another step.

And another.

The book fluttered before unraveling and becoming dust. The dust floated above the fire, condensing but remaining illuminated. Soon, what remained of the book was nothing but a small point of light before her, gleaming above the flames dancing below it.

She reached out...

And touched the light.

Immediately, the flames began to race up her arms.

She didn't burn.

Instead, the light seeped into the flesh in her forearms and formed words on her right arm, images on her left.

She cried out in alarm as the words and pictures all began to change. She then became aware of new information flooding her brain.

Then the heat began to settle in. It crept up her arms from her fingertips, coursed through her chest, spread to her legs and face, filling her until it became the only thing she could be aware of.

She didn't notice herself screaming.

She didn't notice Ben watching in awe.

She didn't notice the scent of heat and smoke.

She knew nothing but what she had become, even for just a split second: fire.

Then, as quickly and suddenly as it appeared on her, all of the light faded.

Every lick of fire faded out completely, and the room went dark.

Everything was still and completely silent, save for Velma's ragged breathing.

Her forearms began to smoke, ever so slightly.

Beneath the smoke, she saw shifting words and moving patterns on her skin.

Then the sensation of being heat itself left her, and a chill unlike any she'd ever felt set in.

A harsh shudder ripped through her body before her knees gave out, before she collapsed and hit the ground hard.

Ben finally moved from where he stood and stared at Velma.

Then he smiled as she sank, once more, into the abyss of sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of course, I'm kind of just springing all three of the chapters I have written and polished. Unfortunately, posting can't be this fast. I'm not sure when I plan on having the next chapters out, but I am working on this one. Again, sorry if I'm a massive disappointment. I'm really trying, and I really mean it when I say reviews help me so, so much.

**Author's Note:**

> Heya! This might eventually be added to the graveyard of fics I've started but never successfully finished (RIP). I'm sure you've noticed by now that I'm intrigued by the dynamic between Ben and Velma, since it's so much more personal (in my opinion). Those of you who are reading my One Year Later fic, I am working on it. I mapped out the rest of my plot, and I just need to find the motivation to write. Those of you who are reading my Monster Hunters AU, I will get to some of the prompts. I'm also just a little bit stuck on that, and I need to find the prompts that were given to me because I'm excellent at forgetting things. Anyway, on with the story!


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